St Helens Borough Arts Strategy Background Information
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ST HELENS BOROUGH ARTS STRATEGY BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Strategy has been developed at a pivotal In developing this Strategy, we have adopted an time for St Helens in terms of its arts and cultural approach which recognises that the Strategy development. In 2023, St Helens will be the Borough needs to be co-produced and co-owned by of Culture for the Liverpool City Region when the Arts sector and that responsibility for its residents, the wider region and the nation will be delivery and implementation will be a shared invited to judge St Helens. This will be a significant responsibility. This is very much in the spirit of the opportunity for St Helens as a place to showcase #StHelenstogether philosophy. This approach has that we have some great assets, organisations, and resulted in a shared recognition of the challenges artists and that we are pioneers in socially engaged ahead and a shared commitment to the Strategy’s arts practice. vision and priorities. The development of the Strategy has been supported and overseen by a We know that we have many of the key ingredients Steering Group consisting of representatives from to produce a thriving and vibrant arts and culture arts organisations, the wider cultural sector, the offer which will support the wider strategic education sector and officers of St Helens Borough ambitions of the Council and the priorities of Arts Council. The Steering Group has played a pivotal Council England and the Liverpool City Region 1 role in shaping the approach of the Strategy, Cultural Compact . We recognise that we can build agreeing the priorities for action and developing a on these foundations and on our heritage to respond Delivery Plan based on a clear set of principles and to the challenges and opportunities ahead. an agreed methodology. This Strategy sets out the change we want to The Strategy has included a significant period of achieve over the next decade and will help to put consultation. One clear and constant theme that has in place the conditions that will enable creative emerged from the consultation is that the St Helens practitioners and organisations to respond to what Arts Strategy must be ambitious, must be unique to lies ahead. St Helens and must maximise our assets. In January 2020, St Helens Borough Council This Strategy focuses on the three Arts Council commissioned Counterculture to help the Borough England (ACE) priorities: Creative People, Cultural develop a 10-year Arts Strategy with the aim of Communities and a Creative and Cultural Country 2. establishing the strategic direction of the arts for It acknowledges that everyone has the capacity to the next 10 years and to highlight the wider role be creative and to benefit from creativity, so that the of the arts in supporting the development and Strategy is about both developing the professional regeneration of the Borough, building on the artistic sector and supporting community-led activities that assets already in place and ensuring that the are open to everyone. It is about individuals and Borough can make the most of the opportunities communities living in a creative place and their access and resources available to develop creative talent. to the arts, public arts and to arts and heritage assets. 2 3 It is about developing cultural infrastructure, skills b) develop an approach to support public realm and knowledge and about diversity, promoting changes in St Helens; and innovation and creative thinking which opens us up to new ideas, perspectives and ambitions. • To align the Arts and Heritage Strategies with the voluntary sector. The vision for the St Helens Borough Arts Strategy The Delivery Plan details how these shared priorities can be summarised in a single word – Emergence. St Helens has always been a place where things will be delivered. emerge – coal from earth, canals from brooks, glass The arts are a revitalising force, which when linked from sand. It is a home of artistry, experiments and to other wider cultural initiatives, deliver positive makers. As St Helens begins to emerge from the impacts on health and wellbeing, community impacts of Covid-19, public art will start emerging cohesion and can play a positive role in planning for from unlikely places; musicians, dancers, singers, the regeneration of the Town Centre and planning and artists will emerge from their bedroom studios for distinctive neighbourhoods. This is a Strategy and lockdown dreams will emerge as inspiration. for everyone in the Borough and recognises that Arts and culture will lead the way for the Borough. if we work collaboratively to strengthen existing Based around this vision, the Strategy identifies partnerships and develop new ones, we can 7 priorities for action and a Delivery Plan for their maximise the huge potential that exists and achieve implementation: results that are not possible working on our own. • To deliver a successful year in 2023 when St Helens The St Helens Borough Arts Strategy provides a is the Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture sustainable, pragmatic and engaged framework for delivering, promoting and inspiring arts and culture • To align the priorities of St Helens Borough in the Borough. It is realistic in its priorities and Arts Strategy with the Borough’s priorities for deliberately seeks to align national, regional and regeneration with a particular emphasis on the local priorities and to promote a working ecology Town Deal 3 that is focused, collegiate and transparent. Arts Council England have been consulted throughout • To align the St Helens Borough Arts Strategy to the development of this Strategy and are fully national and Liverpool City Region arts priorities supportive of St Helens’ ambitions for the arts. and timescales Out of the current pandemic and the resulting • To promote and identify the role of Arts and economic and societal impacts, St Helens will Culture in the Borough and City Region Skills emerge. It is essential that this document is Development Programmes considered as a ‘living’ Strategy and it is reviewed • To maximise the physical assets available and evaluated annually as St Helens itself grows, for Arts provision changes and succeeds. With energy, will and talent, St Helens will inspire its residents, artists • To align with the Liverpool City Region proposals and creative industries to flourish and become the for public art to cultural model for other boroughs to follow. a) develop Dream as an asset and 4 5 2. INTRODUCTION St Helens is one of six metropolitan boroughs of the in libraries programme. It does not run a conventional Liverpool City region, with a population of just over grant support programme for arts organisations or 180,000. It has a proud history but, like many northern initiatives. towns, has experienced major post-industrial decline and significant levels of deprivation, poor health, In 2014 the Heart of Glass organisation became part unemployment and demand for social care services. of the Arts Council England (ACE) national Creative The Borough has significant ambition and aspiration People and Places programme (CPP) , and St Helens to develop St Helens as an inspiring place to work began to grow its reputation in the area of socially and live, this will be aided through investment planned engaged art. In 2018, Heart of Glass and St Helens from the Towns Fund and the English Cities Fund . The Library Service both became ACE National Portfolio Authority is using arts and culture as a significant part Organisations (NPOs), meaning they are part of the of this drive for change and improvement. group of 800 national arts organisations given four- year regular funding from ACE, in return for playing a To support the Council’s modernisation and national and regionally important role. St Helens is the transformation agenda, the Borough Strategy has only Merseyside borough other than Liverpool to have identified six priorities to: any NPOs. Other arts organisations within the Borough include The World of Glass, MD Productions CIC, St • Ensure children and young people have a positive Helens Theatre Royal, Platform Studios, Citadel Arts, start in life Lucem House Community Cinema Plus+, UC Crew, St • Promote good health, independence and care Helens Sinfonietta and many voluntary and community across our communities organisations. • Create safe and strong communities for our residents St Helens Borough Council has a Music Service which is the lead for the St Helens Music Education Hub • Support a strong, diverse and well-connected and Cultured, the St Helens Local Cultural Education local economy Partnership (LCEP). Both these services focus on • Create a green, thriving and vibrant place to be children and young people. proud of; and As well as St Helens College, the borough is home to • Be a modern, efficient and effective Council. a number of schools with strong arts departments. Carmel Catholic Sixth Form College is one of the top The Council’s Arts Service, based within the 10 sixth form colleges in the country, and attracts arts Communities Department of the Place Directorate, students from across Merseyside for its provision, supports the development of the arts in St Helens including in fashion, textiles and photography. through activities linked to the Library Services’ National Portfolio Organisation aims and objectives, the main delivery of which is Cultural Hubs, the arts 6 7 In 2020, Counterculture were commissioned by The development of the Strategy has been St Helens Council to help develop a Borough supported and overseen by a Steering 10-year Arts Strategy. The brief included four Group 5, consisting of representatives from arts core areas of work to: organisations, the wider cultural sector and education sector and officers of St Helens • review and update any previous mapping of arts Borough Council. activity and provision to understand the ecology, the partnerships and to identify any gaps.